Monkian's Prime-Mate
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: Second spiritual successor to Vultureman's Army. Monkian meets the love of his life, and she promises to help him obtain ultimate power from Mumm-Ra by defeating the ThunderCats. But is she really a friend and ally of the naive monkey? Or is she using him, and getting ready to betray him? Inspired by TC episode, "Monkian's Bargain."
1. ACT I

**A/N:** This is the third of the unrelated stories in my Mutant Victory trilogy. It bears some resemblance to what happened in the episode, "Monkian's Bargain," because Monkian strikes another bargain with Mumm-Ra, similar to the last one, but this time, he has an ally in the form of a beautiful female Simian Mutant, who is a lot smarter than he is. The question is, does Mumm-Ra ensnare Monkian and his new girlfriend again? Or does the girlfriend double-cross Monkian? Or do Monkian and his mate live as happily ever after as a couple of villains are capable?

One more time: don't read if you adamantly prefer good guy victories, but do read if you're interested in seeing a Mutant triumph.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _ThunderCats_ at all; Rankin/Bass and Warner Bros. own it.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Monkian's Prime-Mate<span>**

**ACT I**

It was another quiet day on Third Earth. The Mutants wanted to know what sort of ideas to improve Third Earth the ThunderCats had thought of this time, and Monkian, the Simian Mutant, had set out on his SkyCutter to patrol the grounds outside Castle Plun-Darr.

Monkian still hoped for the day when he could be a powerful ruler like Mumm-Ra, and control Third Earth. But his last attempt to do that ended with an embarrassing failure. He had made a bargain with Mumm-Ra, which had resulted in becoming all-powerful with Power Spheres and ruling the northern section of Third Earth, while Monkian himself had to be a prisoner in Mumm-Ra's Pyramid for eternity. He thought he could pay any price Mumm-Ra would ask for, but he wasn't. It was only by giving up his power that he could gain his freedom again.

Monkian promised himself that he wouldn't make a mistake like that again, but sometimes, it was hard for a creature as simple-minded as him to watch out for scenarios where that could happen again anyway. But on this particular day, things were going to change, in a way he didn't expect they would.

As his SkyCutter flew through the Forest of Silence, it seemed like nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Then, without warning, due to the silence of the forest, something big crashed on top of the trees and came to a stop halfway up from the ground. Surprised, Monkian landed his SkyCutter and used his monkey talents to climb the trees and swing up the branches, until he reached the metal object that had smashed through the trees.

It was an escape pod, and as Monkian examined it closer, it turned out to be a Mutant escape pod from a Mutant Mothership. He stared in stunned disbelief as the pod's engines began to shut down. He wondered who was inside the pod. It must have been a Mutant, but he didn't feel altogether comfortable adding another strange Mutant to Slithe's dysfunctional family of warriors from Plun-Darr, because he could add even more bickering and in-fighting than there had been for so long.

Then the hatch of the pod slowly opened. Monkian stepped back and readied his weapons. "Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo! Who's in there? I'm warning you, I've got a Monkey Shield! Hoo, hoo, hoo!"

"Did I just hear a Monkian speak to me out there?" a female voice spoke from inside the pod. "Because if I did, I think this is my lucky day!"

Monkian recoiled. A female Mutant was in there? He readied himself, and then a creature came out that Monkian thought was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

She was a Simian Mutant, like him. She had pale skin and white fur like his, though hers was a little bit thicker, and except for some typical feminine features, she looked quite a lot like Monkian. But her eyes were a bright green color, her chest slightly pronounced, and her arms and legs slightly more slender than Monkian's. She also didn't wear a helmet. But she did wear a red skirt, similar to his, and a bra-like top on her torso. Monkian felt like he had just met his lucky girl.

"Nice, uh...I mean, hoo, hoo, hoo! Where did you come from, if I may ask?" Monkian stammered.

The Simian lady smiled. "It's so good to see one of my own kind this far out in the galaxy! Woo, hoo, hoo! My name is Salena, and I'm a survivor among female Mutants. I was a passenger on a Mutant star liner, when Thunderian pirates attacked the ship and raided it, killing most of the crew and the captain. I don't know if anyone besides me survived. What's your name?"

"Hoo, hoo. I'm Monkian, leader of the Simian Mutants," Monkian replied.

Salena blinked. "Monkian?" she inquired, "Hoo, hoo, hoo. But all Simian Mutants are technically called Monkians. Who calls you that, and why?"

"Uh, almost everybody, allies and enemies alike, call me Monkian," said Monkian. "I was the leader of the Monkian military before becoming stranded on Third Earth with Slithe, Jackalman, and Vultureman."

She whistled. "Boy, you really do live in a community where people don't have their own personal names. Tell me, what's your real name? What did your mother and father call you?"

Monkian blushed. "Woo, hoo, hoo. I don't know if I could say that, Salena. Nobody's called me my real name for years."

"Aw, come on! Hoo, hoo!" Salena challenged him, "I'm not just going to call you 'Monkian.' What's your name? I wanna know who you _really_ are."

Monkian thought about it for a moment. "Oh, all right, but don't gossip about this to everyone you meet here on Third Earth, all right?"

"My sweet lips are sealed. Woo, hoo, hoo!" Salena replied.

Monkian thought about this for a second, too, before answering, "My original name is Addicus, Salena."

"Woo, woo. Addicus is a much better name for you than 'Monkian,' you know," Salena said.

"Uh, thanks, Salena," said Monkian, "So, would you like to come back to Castle Plun-Darr and meet the other Mutants?"

"Actually, Addicus," she said, "I had something in mind, something I wanted to try if I ever met another one of my kind. But first, I need to know: what do you and your comrades do here on Third Earth? And why do you do it? What's in it for you?"

"Oh, well," said Monkian, trying to figure out where to start, "As warriors and plunderers of Plun-Darr, we generally plunder and gather wealth wherever we can, and wreak havoc across the planet, and we fight our enemies, the ThunderCats, relentlessly, in order to gain, or destroy, the Eye of Thundera, the source of the ThunderCats' powers, embedded in the Sword of Omens." Suddenly, he realized that he had said too much about the Mutants' vile affairs, and feared that Salena was going to tell him off. But instead she grinned at him and said:

"I like that. Hoo, hoo, hoo! Makes it sound like you and your comrades are rough and tough go-getters. I wish I could've been here to see some of your fights."

"Well, hoo, hoo, you'd probably become disappointed quickly," said Monkian, "Because we Mutants have been failing constantly. We can never defeat the ThunderCats."

"Oh, no Mutant is perfect!" she replied, "Mutantkind has had plenty of failures with achieving our ends for a very long time. But tell me, hoo, hoo, is there anything else you've wished for, besides wealth? How about power? Mutants crave power. It's in their blood."

"Woo, hoo, hoo, hoo! Of course I've longed for power, Salena!" said Monkian, "But the one time I was able to get personal power, it was from a demon priest who tricked me into paying him the price of losing my freedom to walk all over Third Earth. After I defeated the ThunderCats and got the Sword of Omens for Mumm-Ra, he trapped me in his Pyramid in a cell that I couldn't escape!"

"Mumm-Ra?" said Salena, "I've heard of him! He's that scoundrel mummy that transforms into a much bigger guy that can fight enemies with immense powers, and fly, am I right?"

"Hoo, hoo! Yes, that's him, all right," said Monkian. "Since then, I've always been limited to my natural talents as a monkey in order to plunder Third Earth."

"Well, I'll tell you what. I like you, Addicus," said Salena, "And I think that you need a helping hand in ruling Third Earth."

Monkian looked very interested in her apparent scheming. "Hoo, hoo, hoo! You mean, you can help me achieve the power I need to be Lord of Third Earth?"

"Oh yes," she said, and as she continued to speak, Monkian became intrigued by more than just her lovely appearance. "But first, we need to dispose of Mumm-Ra, the 'Ever-Living,' and then usurp his role as Third Earth's Lord."

And as she continued to lay out her plan, Monkian could tell that this partnership was going to be very rewarding.

* * *

><p>"Hoo, hoo, hoo! Mumm-Ra! Mumm-Ra!" Monkian shouted as he and Salena were permitted entry into the Black Pyramid. "We need to talk to you, Mumm-Ra!"<p>

The sarcophagus opened up slowly, and Mumm-Ra, dressed in his mummy wrappings and red cloak and hood, came out of it, shuffling towards the cauldron.

"Monkian," he said as they entered, "What could you possibly want now? You know that you and your friends are incompetent minions who don't know how to learn from your mistakes."

"Woo! Hoo! Hoo! That's simply not true, _Mumm-Ra!"_ Salena said. "Addicus here knows how to use power, and so do I, and we intend to get some from you!"

"Who is this interloper, Monkian?" Mumm-Ra demanded, "And why does she call you 'Addicus?'"

"Hoo, hoo, hoo! That's my name, Mumm-Ra, my _real_ name!" said Monkian, "And this is-"

"A friend from Plun-Darr," Salena finished for him, "I landed here very recently. Addicus and I have a bargain with each other. We are competing for who can do a better job of defeating your enemies, the ThunderCats, and ruling Third Earth, but the thing is, we need power for that. And Addicus tells me that you are a most magnificent source for power on this planet."

Mumm-Ra looked at her and laughed inwardly. _"She must be as naive as Monkian when it comes to the price of receiving power from me. Well, why not deceive her, too? Then I'll have two more prisoners to taunt for eternity, and I can show the world exactly how stupid the Simian Mutants really are. Ha! Ha! Ha!"_

"That is right," he said aloud, "I _do_ have immense and infinite power, and it is given to me by the Ancient Spirits of Evil." He gestured to the four animal statues that surrounded the cauldron, the boar, the crocodile, the ox, and the vulture. "And yes, I can give it to you, but you must remember, power comes with a price, and you must pay it when the time comes to claim it, if you are to use this power."

"What's the price, Mumm-Ra?" inquired Salena.

"He, he, he! If I told you that right now, you wouldn't be worthy of the power now, would you? You could double-cross me if I give it away now! Haven't you told her, Monkian, about what happened during our last bargain?" Mumm-Ra enunciated.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo! Yes, I have, Mumm-Ra," confirmed Monkian, "And that's why she wants to take full responsibility for the price, so that I don't have to. Hoo, hoo!"

Mumm-Ra almost couldn't believe what he had just heard. _A selfless Mutant? There must be more to it than this. No Mutant is generous enough to stick up for his or her fellow Mutants. But then, they were dumb Simians, and he was Mumm-Ra, the highly intelligent Ever-Living. He would ensnare both of them, as well as the ThunderCats, with his own scheme. After all, Monkian seems to like this 'selfless' Mutant, almost personally, what with the way he keeps looking at her, and he'll want to free her after I trap her here, and then I can trap him just as easily, too!_

"Very well," he said cleverly, "You may both have these. They are the same weapons Monkian used last time, Spheres of Power, but this time, they have more abilities, and those abilities are enhanced to a stronger level. You should be able to beat the ThunderCats with them in little time."

Monkian and Salena took the Spheres and shared them between each other. "Hoo, hoo, hoo. Do these Spheres include the power to match the natural talents of the Cats, Mumm-Ra? Like Tygra's invisibility, Cheetara's top speed, and Panthro's muscle, for example?" asked Monkian.

"Hoo, hoo. Yes, that's very important if we're going to win this one," agreed Salena.

"Indeed, they do," said Mumm-Ra, "And they can still transform into weapons, as well. You will see just how good they are when you put them to use. Now, leave my Pyramid, and go do what you came to do. I must rest and regain my strength for Lion-O's latest guest appearance in the Pyramid."

Monkian and Salena bowed, and Mumm-Ra returned to his sarcophagus to sleep again. The Simians were teleported outside.

Once out there, they shared a conspiratorial grin.

"Woo, woo!" said Monkian, "He didn't guess that we'll be putting talents like the invisibility and the super speed to good use when he tries to trap us! Woo, woo, woo!"

"Hoo, hoo! I told you he wouldn't," Salena replied, "Even geniuses like Mumm-Ra get arrogant and overconfident sometimes. He thinks all Simian Mutants have sub-par intelligence, but I already have him partially outwitted. Between your strength, my brains, and both of our monkey agility, we have this jinxed already."

"Look out, Mumm-Ra! Look out, ThunderCats! Here we come! Woo! Woo! Woo!" Monkian exclaimed.

"No more monkey chatter for now," said Salena, "Let's have some fun sacking the ThunderCats and their lair!"

And with that, they were off to Cat's Lair. She's smart too, thought Monkian. So unlike me. With her by my side, I can never fail!

**END OF ACT I**


	2. ACT II

**Monkian's Prime-Mate**

**ACT II**

It was a pretty pleasant day at Cat's Lair. The ThunderCats were keeping an eye out for trouble, but they were relatively relaxed as well, not expecting a repeat of the actions Monkian made when he last made a bargain with Mumm-Ra. Of course, Monkian intended to change all that this time, and now, he had a little help from a friend.

"Hoo, hoo! So that's Cat's Lair," Salena remarked today her mate. "It doesn't look all that daunting."

"Hoo, hoo! It's stronger than it looks, Salena," said Monkian, "But I've used these powers before. They'll make us defeat the ThunderCats in a short time, especially since the arrogant Cats assume that since I couldn't cut my last bargain, I'll never have these powers again."

"I agree," said Salena, "Although they're probably alert for almost anything, from what I know about Thunderians."

"Well, let's stop chatting for now," said Monkian, "We have a plan to follow through on."

"Did I just hear Monkian say that he's going to attack Cat's Lair single-handedly, again?" said a voice from nearby. They turned and saw a ThunderCat standing there. It was Panthro.

"Not quite single-handedly, ThunderCat scum," said Salena, getting up from her crouched position and standing up straight. "Addicus here has a little help this time, and not from his typical allies."

Panthro blinked. "Another Monkian?" he said, "And a female one! What could the two of you prosimians possibly do that you haven't done before?"

Salena smiled. "How about this? Show him, Addicus!"

"Hoo, hoo, hoo! Right, Salena!" said Monkian, and he revealed one of his Power Spheres in his hand. He concentrated his will on it, and he felt great strength surging through him, more than he normally had.

Panthro decided to make a move. He growled like the panther he was and revealed his nun-chucks, spinning them through the air and getting ready to use them on the two Monkians. But Monkian dodged every laser and substance that shot out of them. Then he leaped forward and wrestled Panthro one-on-one. Panthro was the second strongest ThunderCat, next to Lion-O, but Monkian's enhanced strength was quite powerful, and it soon began to overpower Panthro. Then Monkian revealed another Sphere, and tossed it at Panthro, trapping him in a magic bubble, like the last time.

Panthro couldn't get out of it, and Monkian felt quite proud of himself. But before he or Salena could cheer (or jeer), another ThunderCat appeared on the scene. This time, it was Cheetara.

"Up to your old tricks again, Monkian?" she asked. "And who's your ugly friend?"

Salena and Monkian were both angered by that remark. "She's not ugly, ThunderCat!" he shouted. He got ready to charge, but Salena held him back.

"Relax, Addicus," she said, "This one's mine."

Cheetara prepared her staff for combat. Salena produced her own Sphere and felt power going through her veins, too. As Cheetara prepared herself for almost any Mutant attack, she was confronted by an attack she didn't expect.

Salena suddenly took on super speed, just like Cheetara, and ran circles around the surprised She-Cat. Cheetara didn't know what to do about this, which gave Salena time to prepare her next move. She reached out and snatched Cheetara's staff, and thrust it between Cheetara's lower legs, making her trip and fall over. Knocking the staff away from the ThunderCat, Salena soon encased Cheetara in a Sphere bubble, too.

"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Woo! Stunning moves, Salena!" remarked Monkian on her talents.

"You didn't do so bad yourself, Addicus," she replied. "Woo, woo, woo!"

"Now what?" asked Monkian. "Shall we go on to the Lair?"

"Why not?" said Salena, "There's nothing I'd rather do."

Thry ran to the bridge and began crossing it, but another ThunderCat, Tygra, blocked their way.

"Going somewhere, Mutants?" he wanted to know.

"Hoo, hoo! Yes!" Monkian informed him, "And you're not stopping us!"

"We'll see about that," Tygra replied, wielding his bolo whip and turning himself invisible.

Monkian and Salena both used the power of their Spheres to become invisible in their turn, and produced laser crossbows from out of nowhere. A fight ensued between the ThunderCat and the Mutants, where Tygra tried to take them down with various attacks from his whip, while the Simians fired their crossbows in his general direction. Because their weapons couldn't turn invisible, they all had a vague idea of where each other was.

At last, when Monkian fired a guided laser at Tygra's bolo whip, the impact caused Tygra to lose his invisibility. Salena tossed another Sphere at the tiger Cat after Monkian knocked him off the bridge and into the most below. Monkian looked down on him with glee and said, "Any feelings of déjà vu, ThunderCat? Remember, cats don't _always_ land on their feet!"

He turned to Salena and said, "All right, what's next?"

"Strategy, big boy," said Salena, "You use a Sphere to increase your size until you're as big as Cat's Lair, and trap the remaining ThunderCats from the outside. I'll go inside and trap them by the door. Then, we'll take 'em out together, and grab the Sword of Omens and bring it back to Mumm-Ra."

"Woo, woo, woo! I've always wanted to become a big, strong giant again!" Monkian said excitedly. "Let's do it!"

* * *

><p>Inside the Lair, Lion-O, Snarf, and the ThunderKittens had been observing the whole fight, and now, Lion-O called for battle stations. They prepared themselves for an attack, one that Lion-O already knew was going to happen, from past experience.<p>

"It looks like Monkian has his Power Spheres back, Lion-O," said WilyKit.

"Yeah," said WilyKat, "And he's got another Simian Mutant helping him."

"Yes, I know," said Lion-O, "At a time and place like this, I'm fully expecting Monkian to become a colossal giant again and attempt to smash into the Lair and grab us."

"Snarf, snarf! That doesn't bear thinking about!" said Snarf. "The Mutants are spooky enough when they're at their normal size!"

"Well, we'll be ready for them this time, Snarf," said Lion-O, "The Mutants always lose in the end."

"Uh oh, it looks like he's starting to grow right now, Lion-O," said Kit. Lion-O looked outside and saw that Monkian was indeed growing to a giant size like before.

"Get ready!" said Lion-O, drawing the Sword of Omens. The ThunderKittens prepared their lassos and their pellets, while Snarf stood by Lion-O's side.

Sure enough, Monkian's hand soon punched its way through the metal walls of the control room. Lion-O attempted to keep the Mutant's hand away with the Sword. "Ho!" he shouted, and a lightning bolt shot out from the tip of the Sword and hit Monkian's groping hand.

Curiously, the shot from the Sword didn't seem to harm him. At all. The ThunderKittens tried throwing some itch pellets at the hand, but they, too, didn't seem to affect it.

"Snarf! What do we do now, Lion-O?" Snarf asked nervously.

"Now, we evacuate," said Lion-O. "Clear out of the control room and get outside, now!"

Snarf and the Kittens obeyed at once, running away with Lion-O. But they didn't get very far, because they were cut off by Salena, who boxed them in down the hall. Again, the Kittens prepared to defend themselves, this time with their lassos. They intended to get them past an imitation lasso that they fully expected her to create with one of her Spheres. But instead, she produced an Ape Shield much like Monkian's, and aimed it at the ThunderCats. An energy blast from the mouth of the Ape Shield's face hit and burned up the Kittens' lassos.

Shocked, they tried to disorientate her with smoke pellets. But she used another interesting power with her new Shield. The mouth of the Ape face made like a vacuum and sucked in the pellets, and disintegrated them without sparking their potent effects.

"Lion-O, our weapons are useless against those powers," said Kat, "I hope you can do better with the Sword of Omens."

"I'll give it a try, Kat," said Lion-O, "It's got to work. The Eye of Thundera has never been truly defeated before."

"I don't think so, Lord of the ThunderCats," said Salena, "The Eye of Thundera is no match for the Power Spheres of Mumm-Ra."

"Who are you, anyway?" demanded Snarf.

"I'm Salena, a Mutant of Plun-Darr," she replied, "Addicus and I (the Mutant everyone so impersonally calls Monkian) are going to wrest control of Third Earth from your hands and those of Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living. Then we shall bring a new era of peace and order to Third Earth as its new Lord and Lady."

"Trading one evil ruler for another will only create more evil on Third Earth, Salena," said Lion-O, "And evil cannot create true peace, only a negative pseudo-peace that suits the evil ruler and few others."

"Lion-O, Monkian is still groping around for us," said Snarf, "We've gotta get out of here!"

"We will, Snarf," said Lion-O, "We will."

"You think I'm just going to let you run out of here, when Addicus and I are so close to victory?" scoffed Salena.

"I don't see how any Mutant can stop the ThunderCats," said WilyKat.

Salena grunted, and then she suddenly made her Shield light up with blinding light, aiming it directly at the ThunderCats. All four of the ThunderCats were stunned, and then, Salena started to attack them yet again. She fired cannonballs at their feet, causing them to hop backwards. She pushed them farther back. She was driving them back toward Monkian's hand.

Finally, it found Lion-O and Snarf. Monkian, relishing the moment, pulled Lion-O and Snarf out of the Lair and dropped them in the moat. Then he pulled them up again. They were unconscious, and the Sword of Omens was also there.

Monkian grinned in triumph.

And as for the ThunderKittens, Salena just zapped them with a powerful stun bolt that would leave them unconscious for hours.

Salena ran outside and rejoined Monkian, who was still a colossal giant. "Hoo, hoo! Not bad," she said, "Not bad at all, my delicious lover."

Monkian almost blushed when he heard that. "Hoo, hoo, hoo! That's...nice, Salena." It was evident that he wasn't used to being treated with affection and compliments.

"Now what do you say we take our prizes back to Mumm-Ra?" suggested Salena, "It'll soon be time for the next stage in my plan."

"I'm game," said Monkian, "Hoo, hoo. Would you like a free ride, m'lady? I don't have to relinquish this size too soon."

Salena stared at him and said, "Why, you're such a gent! For a barbarian, of course."

"Well," said Monkian, "I'll take that as a compliment."

"I would guess that any Mutant would take that as a compliment," said Salena.

"Except maybe that arrogant scientist, Vultureman, who think he's so much better then the rest of us," said Monkian.

"You're probably right on that one," agreed Salena.

**END OF ACT II**


	3. ACT III

**Monkian's Prime-Mate**

**ACT III**

Back at Mumm-Ra's pyramid, Monkian and Salena brought back the unconscious bodies of Lion-O and Snarf. Once inside, Mumm-Ra seemed to be very pleased with what they had done to get the Sword of Omens.

"Well done, my Monkians," said Mumm-Ra, "It appears that both of you know how to use the Power Spheres to your full advantage."

Salena didn't like it when Mumm-Ra called her and Monkian 'his Monkians,' but she played along with his game for the time being. The same went for Monkian.

"The pleasure is all ours, O mighty Mumm-Ra," said Monkian, "Now, do we get to rule the northern sector of Third Earth, as you said? Hoo, hoo."

"Third Earth is yours to rule, Mutants," said Mumm-Ra, grinning evilly, "But don't forget-"

Lion-O and Snarf woke up at that moment. Seeing himself in Mumm-Ra's pyramid, Lion-O became active immediately, leaping up and calling the Sword of Omens to his hand. But Mumm-Ra had covered the Eye of Thundera with a cloth, muting its abilities, so it couldn't come when it was called. Mumm-Ra laughed again. So did the Simians.

"I'm not going to get caught by that blasted Sword of Omens this time! Hoo, hoo, hoo!" said Monkian. He drew out a Power Sphere and threw it at Lion-O. The bubble successfully trapped him. Salena threw another one at Snarf, and he was trapped as well.

Mumm-Ra chortled. "Nice to see what agile reflexes a Simian Mutant has," he remarked. "Now, as I was going to say, power has its price. And the time has come for you to pay it."

"Hoo, hoo, absolutely, Mumm-Ra," said Salena, "We are ready to pay for our power. Tell us what the price is."

Lion-O shook his head within his bubble, predicting what was going to happen, again, or at least what he thought was going to happen.

Mumm-Ra suddenly laughed aloud. "Foolish Mutants! I would think even _Monkian_ would learn from his mistakes sooner or later! You rule Third Earth, but as before, you are my prisoner for eternity! Only this time, there will be _no_ escape for you, even if you _do_ give up your power! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Monkian believed he was prepared for this. He turned invisible with one of his Spheres, and slipped away to another part of the chamber. But Mumm-Ra laughed again and said, "You seriously think you can use my own power to hide from me?" Then he raised his hands, and stone bars rose up from the floor exactly where Monkian was standing.

Monkian turned visible again. But he said, "I can still get out of here, Mumm-Ra. Hoo, hoo!" Then he used two more Spheres, one to break down the bars, and the other to re-acquire Cheetara's super speed. The cell was destroyed, and he began to dart around the room. But before he could do anything else, Mumm-Ra raised another set of bars, right in the very spot where Monkian was about to run towards. The Simian Mutant couldn't stop himself in time and ran right into the cell. Soon, he was locked within it again.

Monkian was getting a little nervous by now. "This isn't fair, Mumm-Ra!" he shouted, "You can't possibly outsmart every kind of Power Sphere I have!"

"Why not?" mocked Mumm-Ra, "They were my powers, originally. I know them better than you do. I don't think you miserable Mutants will ever change!" He snorted.

"Salena!" yelled Monkian at his mate, "You've got to do something about this! Get me out of this cell! Help me defeat Mumm-Ra!"

Salena looked at Monkian, then at Mumm-Ra, as if she was thinking about something. Then, she stepped towards Mumm-Ra and said, "O mighty Mumm-Ra, I would most certainly like a chance to rule Third Earth with you."

Monkian blanched. Was he actually hearing this? Was his new girlfriend double-crossing him, and in front of Mumm-Ra? "No, Salena!" he cried, "How can you say that? Remember our partnership? Don't you?"

Salena looked at him and said, "You really think I'd get mixed up with a pea-brain like you, Monkian? Mumm-Ra has so much more to offer me. He has infinite power, after all. He can offer me _anything."_

Monkian was crushed, especially to hear himself referred to as "Monkian" again. He lowered his head.

Mumm-Ra looked amused. "So, you want to rule Third Earth yourself, and without your beloved boyfriend, She-Monkey?"

"Yes," said Salena, spreading her hands, "And you don't have to worry about me betraying you or anything, either, because I want to be your permanent partner in evil."

"Interesting request," said Mumm-Ra, walking slowly towards her. "I have no doubt someone as smart as you could do a lot more to Third Earth than Monkian could. But you forget one important thing."

"And what is that, Mumm-Ra?" she asked, edging towards the stone slab where the Sword of Omens lay.

"I am Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living," said Mumm-Ra, "And I do not work with any partner, unless the Ancient Spirits of Evil command me to do so. And never once have they ever given me such a command."

"Hoo, hoo. So it's the Ancient Spirits of Evil that give you your power, then," said Salena, getting a little closer to the slab.

"Of course they do, fool," said Mumm-Ra, "Where else do you think I get my powers? Surely the décor of the Black Pyramid is enough to tell you that!"

"In other words, these animal statues _are_ the Ancient Spirits," she said. She had almost reached the slab.

"Yes," said Mumm-Ra impatiently, "But they only grant power to someone who is more than ready to commit to the rule of Third Earth, and your former lover, Monkian, is no such person!"

"Hoo, hoo! You have such a way with words, mighty Mumm-Ra," she said soothingly. She reached behind her. "But we'll soon see who's really worthy of ruling Third Earth."

Suddenly, Salena snatched up the Sword of Omens. She knew she couldn't use its power, but being a clever monkey, she had another use for it. She threw it at the unsuspecting Mumm-Ra like a javelin. The tip of the blade pierced Mumm-Ra close to the spot where he would have had a heart if he had been human, and Mumm-Ra was put out of commission for a little while.

Next, Salena used one of her Spheres to break down the walls of Monkian's cell. As soon as the bars were gone, the Ape Man was down on Salena like a hawk on a squirrel.

"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Traitor!" Monkian roared, "You used me to get close to Mumm-Ra and his power! How could you do that, Salena?"

"Addicus, stop it!" Salena begged, "That was all an act that I just did!"

"Hoo, hoo! What was?" demanded Monkian, "All that affection you showed me while we fought the ThunderCats?"

"No!" she replied, "My perceived betrayal of you and my smooth talk with Mumm-Ra was the act! I was always on your side, just as much as I was on my own! I'm sorry, Addicus. I'm really sorry."

Monkian growled. "How do I know I can trust you, Salena?"

Salena pushed him off of her with surprising strength. "Because I'm about to help you finish off Mumm-Ra right now." She stood up and spread her arms out.

"Call on the Ancient Spirits of Evil, Addicus!" she said, "Only with their help can we defeat Mumm-Ra!"

"But the Ancient Spirits only give Mumm-Ra power," said Monkian.

"They know now that we are serious about wanting ultimate power," she argued, "I can sense it with the Spheres' power. It we call on them, they _will_ help us. Now do it, before Mumm-Ra recovers!"

Monkian looked uncertain for a second. But then, as if on an inspiration, he raised his arms and shouted, "Ancient Spirits of Evil, transform this monkey form to Ape-Ra, the Ever-Simian!"

To his astonishment, the four Ancient Spirits actually responded in the affirmative. Their powers caused Monkian to grow to a colossal size, much like Mumm-Ra, but bristling with his own powers. A cold wind blew around Monkian, but he wasn't daunted by it.

Salena joined in with her own chant, "Ancient Spirits of Evil, transform this monkey form to Ape-Rana, the Ever-Primate!"

She too, grew to an immense size and gained power beyond what the Spheres gave her.

By this time, Mumm-Ra was getting up, and was staring with immeasurable disbelief. "Impossible!" he screamed. "Ancient Spirits! How could you betray me like this, your faithful servant, Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living?!"

The Ox Lord said, "Your time has come, Mumm-Ra. You have been a long and faithful servant, but now the time has come to pass on the torch to others who will rule Third Earth in their own unique way."

"NNNNOOOOOOOO!" Mumm-Ra bellowed, "This cannot be! I will destroy these two imbeciles by myself if I have to!"

Salena looked to Monkian. "You know what we do now, right?"

Monkian allowed himself a small smile. "Hoo, hoo. We work together to defeat Mumm-Ra. I'm with you, Salena!"

"It won't be that easy!" said another voice. The three of them finally noticed that Lion-O had freed himself of his bubble with Snarf's help, who had clawed out of his own bubble, and Snarf also got the Sword of Omens back to Lion-O and unwrapped the Eye of Thundera. Lion-O raised the sword and let out the ThunderCats' battle cry, "Thunder, thunder, thunder, ThunderCats, Ho!"

Far away, back at Cat's Lair, the ThunderKittens were roused from their stunned sleep by the Cat signal, and the other ThunderCats gained the strength to break free of their bubbles. They all got in the ThunderTank and headed for Mumm-Ra's pyramid.

At the pyramid, Mumm-Ra let loose with his lightning powers from his hands, putting as much power into it as his decayed form would allow. Monkian, or rather, Ape-Ra, used powers through the Ancient Spirits and the Power Spheres to fight back. Salena, or Ape-Rana, assisted him. The blasts from their hands almost shocked the Lion-O and Snarf into unconsciousness again, but they managed to stay awake, nonetheless. Mumm-Ra was thrust backwards and almost crashed into his sarcophagus.

The Ape Mutants exulted in their certain victory.

"Hoo, hoo, woo, woo, woo! Your time is over, Mumm-Ra! The Simian Mutant tribe rules Third Earth!" shouted Ape-Ra.

"Now and forever! Woo! Woo!" shouted Ape-Rana.

"Never!" yelled stubborn Mumm-Ra, leaping to his feet. "You stole that right from me, and I will take it back!"

But then something happened that caught them all by surprise. The sarcophagus was lifted off the ground by some unseen power. They turned and saw that Lion-O was using the Eye of Thundera to guide the sarcophagus into Mumm-Ra's acidic cauldron.

"No! NO! NOOOO!" cried Mumm-Ra hopelessly. "Without my sarcophagus, I'll die!"

"That's precisely the point, Mumm-Ra," said Lion-O, "I'm not going to let a titanic war began between three mighty powers of evil tear apart this section, or any other section, of Third Earth! Goodbye, Mumm-Ra."

The sarcophagus fell into the cauldron, and in moments, it was destroyed. Mumm-Ra felt himself rapidly weakening, but he was determined to fight till the end, so he kept up his useless attack, until at last, the two mighty Apes disintegrated his decayed form and dispelled his ashes and mummy wrappings to the four winds.

The two Apes celebrated once again amongst themselves, but only for a second, as they saw Lion-O and Snarf running for the exit.

"Snarf, snarf! Get me as far away from those monkey freaks as possible!" said Snarf.

Lion-O stopped at the exit and pointed the Sword of Omens at Monkian and Salena. "This isn't over, Mutants, just because Mumm-Ra's gone," he said, "The ThunderCats will continue to fight for justice truth, honor, and loyalty as long as evildoers like you continue to do your dirty deeds. Count on it."

Then Lion-O and Snarf ran out of the pyramid. The big Apes chuckled at each other.

"Hoo, hoo. That's what we're counting on, ThunderCat!" said Monkian.

* * *

><p>Outside the pyramid, Lion-O and Snarf met up with the other ThunderCats in the ThunderTank. Lion-O quickly filled them in on what had happened.<p>

"Well, I guess we have _one_ less problem to worry about," said WilyKat half-heartedly.

"I don't imagine Slithe and the other Mutants will take too kindly to this advantage Monkian now has over them," remarked Panthro.

"No, I don't think they will, Panthro," agreed Lion-O, "But now that there are two new Ever-Living dark powers at work on Third Earth, we'd better be extra prepared for future trouble!"

They put their hands together.

"ThunderCats! Ho!"

**END OF ACT III**

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><p><em><strong>This story will conclude in the epilogue…<strong>_


	4. EPILOGUE

**Monkian's Prime-Mate**

**EPILOGUE**

Monkian and Salena sat on thrones that they had built for themselves in Mumm-Ra's former sleep chamber in the Black Pyramid. They were both enjoying a drink of grape juice together.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo. It sure feels good, being the rulers of Third Earth, doesn't it?" Monkian said to his new girlfriend.

"Hoo, hoo. I'll say it does, Addicus," said Salena. "I'm quite a fan of having ultimate power in my grasp."

"Hoo, hoo. Think of the things we can do with the people of Third Earth," said Monkian. "Hoo. We can make the Wollos and the Bolkins work as slaves in Castle Plun-Darr for us. Maybe we could also get back the Brute-Men and put them back to work, too. Hoo! Hey! Maybe we can get the other Mutants to crawl before us, too! I'd love to see how Slithe, Jackalman, and Vultureman try to handle the situations we'll put them through!"

"Hoo! Don't forget, though, my dear, what the true meaning of power is," said Salena.

"Hoo. The true meaning? I thought power was just the ability to destroy things that get in the way of your goals, whether you're familiar with them or not, and to terrorize the locals with force," said a curious Monkian.

"Oh no," said Salena, "There's more to it than that. Having power comes with responsibility. It means you control all the affairs of the place you have power over, and that you choose who should live and who should die in every community. You tell people what to do, and they do it for you. And the people who do it for you either love, revere, or worship you for it."

"Hoo, hoo, hoo. That sounds very logical, even to me, hoo, hoo, woo!" said Monkian. "But the part about being loved or revered sounds kind of like what people on the side of good would do for me, and as a Mutant of Plun-Darr, I'm bound to serve evil. Hoo, hoo."

"Yes," said Salena, "And that brings me to a secret I've been keeping from you. I've kept the secret until now because it was the only easy way to defeat Mumm-Ra."

"A secret?" asked Monkian, "What kind of secret?"

"Despite my temporary use of evil powers, and my status as a Plun-Darrian Mutant, I don't actually serve evil," said Salena. "The part about wanting Mumm-Ra's power was an act, too. I actually am a spy for Mumm-Ra's good counterpart, Mumm-Rana, which is why I called myself a -Rana when we transformed into more powerful creatures."

Monkian blanched. "You serve _Mumm-Rana?"_ he said in disbelief. "What's going on, Salena?" he demanded to know. "Why do you keep changing alligences on me?!"

"I'm not changing alligences, Addicus," said Salena patiently, "Mumm-Rana doesn't like the way that all you Mutants that live in Castle Plun-Darr unswervingly serve the cause of evil, and she sent me to see if I could get through to one Mutant and give him power over Mumm-Ra, since Mumm-Rana's power wasn't strong enough to do so. And I guess I can count both of us fortunate that I found you first, because now I have a member of my own kind to have as a boyfriend forever!"

"Hoo, hoo! But I can't just give up on evil, Salena!" protested Monkian, "It's all I've ever known since I grew up! And the same goes for most of the other Simian Mutants, too, you know! Woo, woo, woo!"

"Addicus," said Salena, looking at him with something like pity, "you need help. You can still have power, but first, Mumm-Rana has to cleanse you of the effects of evil, and she can only do that in her White Pyramid. And surely you don't want to spend the rest of your life fighting an endless war with the ThunderCats? They're almost unconquerable, after all, and besides, they serve the same side as Mumm-Rana wants you and I to."

"Do I have to, Salena?" Monkian asked.

"You at least have to see Mumm-Rana in her pyramid and talk to her about the matter," said Salena. "And I can see in Mumm-Ra's cauldron that she is calling out to us right now!"

Suddenly, a warm light started to shine into the interior of the pyramid. Monkian and Salena began to disappear from the thrones on which they sat. When it passed, to Monkian's puzzled surprise, they found themselves in the interior of the other pyramid, the White Pyramid. They stood by the far end of the cauldron, and at the near end, there was gentle, serene Mumm-Rana herself.

She smiled at them, much to Monkian's surprise. "Welcome, Mutants," she said.

**END OF EPILOGUE**

**THE END?**

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><p><strong>AN:** I'm going to have a one-shot frame story, or tie-in, go along with this story, showing how Monkian and Salena fare with Mumm-Rana after their victory. Stay tuned for this story. Hope you enjoyed this one!


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